Herod Archelaus 4 BC - 6 AD

Here we have a coin of one of the sons of Herod the Great: Herod Archelaus. Archelaus was not named King by Rome but given a lesser title of Ethnarch and he was the only one of the three sons of Herod to receive this title. He was told he could earn the title King if he did a good job. He will never get that title, in fact he will be removed as ruler and then Rome will put in a Prefect. Here is a coin of Herod Archelaus.

The nautical symbol on this coin is a reminder that the area he was asked to control included ports like Caesarea and Joppa within the area of Judea, Idumaea and Samaria. This would definitely be a coin that will be found on the moneychangers’ table and is a great possibility for the widow’s mite.

Here we have another coin of Herod Archelaus that also has a nautical theme (an anchor). Besides being an nautical image that was common on coins when they were minted under Seleucid control, it was also a reminder of the successful sea voyage Herod Archelaus made to Rome to make sure he was named ruler after Herod the Great’s death. The trip was necessary because Herod Antipas, as well as a number of important Jewish citizens, were contesting the will that Herod the Great left. It seems that Herod the Great wrote out a number of wills and that each time he changed his mind as to how his Kingdom was to be divided up and run after his death. From the Roman point of view having a Herodian ruler instead of placing a Roman Procurator in charge, was desirable because they did not want to upset the local population more than was necessary to keep control. The Romans really had only two goals. 1) Keep this area under under Roman rule and 2) Keep the revenue flowing from this area to support their various Legions.

If you just read only the works of the Jewish historian Josephus you would think his name is Archelaus but his coins tell a different story. The coins contain the phrase “Of Herod the Ethnarch.” So he is truly named Herod Archelaus and like his brothers, was given the authority to mint coins – but only bronze coins that would be used locally. These coins were minted in Jerusalem and there was already a well organized mint set up by Herod the Great, his father. This particular coin will differ in design from all his others. The design of the vine with grapes may have been influenced by a similar grape/vine design found in the sanctuary of Temple in Jerusalem done in gold. This coin would be another Widow’s Mite possiblity as well as a coin that would be found on the moneychangers table.